Tag Archives: Aaron Blake

Four years ago I relied much on the RealClearPolitics website to find a
broad mix of stories related to the political noise of the day. Who
knew that four years later the site would still be my most valued
source on national issues at a time when hot sites become relics
within weeks?

I found two pieces today that offer reasoned (a rare adjective
these days) discussion on what Romney said. And to be clear, I
believe what Romney described as “not elegantly stated” should more
accurately be described as “as wrong calling a cat a fascist.” That
is, the 47 percent he named, those who don’t pay income tax, are
not all the “dependent upon government, who believe that they are
victims, who believe the government has a responsibility to care
for them, who believe that they are entitled to health care, to
food, to housing, to you name it.”

That said, it has opened a conversation about the fact that 47
percent don’t pay federal income taxes. And that’s where Debra Saunders is taking us when she says,

“…the result is an America in which close to half of voters
can support any scheme designed to expand the scope of federal
government, secure in the knowledge that they likely will not have
to pay for it.”

On the flip side, it is worth discovering why there is 47
percent not paying federal income taxes. It’s not just because of
the snoozy economy. Steve Chapman, in an editorial that is (I’m
warning you now.) highly critical of Romney and his statement, (The
title, “Romney’s Dependancy Delusion”
is a clue.) explains it this way, among others:

“Since 1990, the number of people getting Social Security
benefits has risen by more than a third. That’s not because the
government has suddenly enlarged the program in an effort to
undermine self-reliance. It’s because there are more old
people.”

RCP also links a Washington Post blog post by
Aaron Blake, who says the gaffe probably won’t matter in
November.

Which reminds me, the Atlantic Monthly has a graph showing historical
evidence that Romney’s comment will have little impact on the
election’s ultimate outcome.